DOZENS of Birmingham footballers still don’t have a field to play on – two months after bomb squad officers blew a hole in the centre of their pitch.

An Army Bomb Disposal Unit was directed to the Portland Pavilion sports club in Edgbaston with a suspected Second World War hand grenade after it was dug up in a nearby garden at the end of November.

They carried out a controlled explosion which left a 2ft-wide crater in the club’s main pitch, along with a £560 repair bill.

But despite repairs, the pitch is still out of action and lease holder Michelle Kelly revealed the Portland could be forced to fold after losing £9,000 in takings.

“We didn’t bring this on ourselves, it wasn’t our grenade,” she said.

“I had to pay for the repairs and, because of the cold, the turf hasn’t knitted together properly so we can’t use the pitch.

“We rely on takings from the bar and from food every weekend, but if no-one is playing football, then they don’t use it and that is costing us £900 a week.

“It’s heartbreaking because you can see the bills mounting up and we are doing our hardest as the kids will have nowhere to go.”

The hand grenade was dug up by workmen as they carried out work at a property in Stanmore Road, Edgbaston.

A number of nearby roads were closed and residents were evacuated from their homes before the device was taken to the Portland for a controlled explosion.

Ms Kelly turned to the police when her insurance company refused to pay out for repairs at the club, which has three pitches used by a total of 24 youth and adult football sides.

“The insurance company said they wouldn’t cover it because the bomb wasn’t found on-site and no crime was committed,” said Ms Kelly, who took over the running of the club in October 2008.

“It doesn’t help me, because I can’t pay the gas bill and we are getting behind with the electricity, it is very worrying.”

West Midlands Police has since agreed to reimburse the cost of the repairs following “careful consideration”.

A police spokesman said: “It would have been unfair for the club to suffer financial loss for their public-spirited action in helping the Army and police to bring a potentially very dangerous and life threatening situation to a successful conclusion.”

The Portland is now staging a Northern Soul night on Saturday, February 20 in a bid to raise funds to secure the club’s future.

Tickets are £3 each and the event starts at the Portland Road club at 8pm.